by Jeff Gunhus
An old woman, at least eighty years old, danced with her eyes closed, her hands clapping in time to the music next to her ear. When the music changed, she stamped her feet on the ground with such power and grace that the crowd around her shouted, Ole!
If she heard them, she gave no sign. She was lost in the music, no longer eighty, but a young woman dancing under the stars, feeling the solid ground beneath her feet and tasting the salt in the night air. The musicians increased the tempo and the woman matched it. Faster and faster, the music and woman swirled together, tangled into one another. The crowd stamped their feet. Clapped in time. Faster still. The woman danced like she was captive to it. But then I realized it was the musicians who were captive to her.
She pushed them, driving their pace, testing their ability. Until, finally, mercifully, the music reached a crescendo and finished with a flair. The old woman anticipated the end perfectly and froze in an outstretched pose, reaching for the sky, her eyes still closed, her chest heaving from the exertion. The crown erupted into cheers of Ole! Ole! Only after a pause did the woman open her eyes, looking around her as if surprised to find that she was not alone. She nodded once gracefully and then walked into the crowd, hobbling slightly. Her back hunched over. Then she disappeared.
I noticed Eva staring after the old woman. After a few moments, she sensed me and turned away, wiping a tear from her cheek. We walked away from the musicians, slowly now, close together so our shoulders nearly touched. The road we were on sloped uphill, and we followed it. The sidewalk soon turned to concrete stairs, and we took those. Higher and higher we climbed. The stairs ended in an overlook with a low stone wall. At last, we were rewarded with a view of the entire city and the endless ocean stretching out in front of us.
We walked to the edge and stared out at the twinkling lights both below us and above us in the night sky. Still, not a single word had passed between us, but I felt like I’d never said so much to her. I reached out and took her hand. It was warm to the touch and softer than I expected. She didn’t flinch or pull away. But she didn’t look at me either. She just stared out into the empty space in front of us. I spoke first.
“That old woman,” I said carefully. “The one dancing. I saw the way you watched her.” I meant it as a question but realized I had only made a statement. I was kicking myself for being an idiot when Eva saved me.
“You understand how important all this is, don’t you?” she asked softly.
I nodded. “Tonight with Daniel shouldn’t have happened. It was stupid.”
“You understand how important this is?” she repeated, nodding at the view in front of us. “We’re fighting for everything. That’s what’s at stake. Everything.” I felt her hand tighten in mine. “That old woman dancing. Do you think she was dancing with joy? Or was she dancing with regret?”
I thought about it carefully. The way she had closed her eyes. The grasping motions of her hands during the dance. “I think she was dancing to remember joy. But I think she regretted nothing,” I replied, not even sure where the thought came from.
Eva nodded and dropped my hand from hers. “We can’t fail at this, Jack,” she said. “Nothing else matters.”
My hand felt cold without hers. The warm breeze from the ocean suddenly seemed to carry a chill. In the blink of an eye, cold water quenched the fire inside of me. I stood next to her, enjoying her company, knowing the next day we would be on our way to Paris to face death in more ways than I could count. We were after only the first of five Jerusalem Stones. Following that, we needed to confront and defeat Ren Lucre and rescue my father. I had taken an oath to do these things, and Eva was right that this was the only thing that mattered. But now I also took an oath that when it was all done and Ren Lucre was defeated, I would return to this moment with Eva, perhaps even to this same spot. Only next time I would not let go of her hand.
Chapter Eleven
Paris. It’s nearly impossible to explain and do it justice. We arrived in the Gard du Nord train station in the late afternoon. From the first moment stepping out into the street, we were overwhelmed with the beauty and history of the place. We walked along streets near the station, gawking like tourists at three and four-story town houses with shops on the first floor and apartments above. In fact, this was the same setup as much of Marrakech. But otherwise, the cities couldn’t have been more different.
Broad sidewalks bordered the wide paved streets, giving everything a spacious feel compared to the narrow, claustrophobic canyons in Morocco. The buildings were sturdy brick and plaster, decorated with columns and ornamental arches. Where the buildings in Marrakech stood at odd angles and gave the sense that even two-hundred-year-old structures were one good sandstorm away from ruin, the Parisian row houses looked solid and built to last. They seemed too nice to hide monsters, but I knew better than to let my guard down. The Creach found their way into everything. It was just a matter of time before we ran into them.
We grabbed a quick bite to eat at a sidewalk café, chomping away at flaky butter croissants filled with cheese and ham. They were so good, we all ordered a second helping.
The group was back to being in good spirits. Daniel and I had made up when we saw each other the morning after our little fight in Aleciras. If anything, we spoke over each other too much trying to take blame for the incident. We nearly got into another fight over that. At least we stopped ourselves and had a good laugh over it before it went too far. I knew there was still tension between us, but I was at peace. For the moment.
When I saw Eva that morning, she was back in her jeans and t-shirt that she had washed overnight. Her all-business attitude was back too. It was like the night before had never happened. The walls were back up around her and we had a job to do. There was no time for the silliness of handholding and talking about feelings. She was a monster hunter and we were on a mission.
I followed her lead and acted as if my heart hadn’t been broken the night before and that I couldn’t still feel her hand in mine. It was a slow, dull suffering that took root deep in my stomach and followed me around all morning. First on the train and now as I ate lunch in Paris. If you don’t know what that pain feels like yet, I’m sorry to tell you, but one day you will.
After we finished eating, I waited until the waiter cleared the last of our plates before motioning everyone closer.
“Now that we’re here, I want to share with you the information I have,” I said. “I’m going to need your help making any sense of it.”
“About time,” Daniel grumbled.
I ignored the comment. “Gregor confirmed that the Lord of the Vampire’s lair is where Tiberon showed me, in the caves under Paris. Or at least it was the last he heard.”
“There are caves under Paris?” T-Rex asked. “That’s crazy.”
“Tunnels really. A massive mining operation all the way back to the Roman days,” Xavier added.
“Right, but we’re not after that right now,” I said.
“Then what are we after?” Will asked.
“A weapon,” I whispered. “Something Gregor says will ensure our success…or at least help it immensely.”
“What kind of weapon?” Eva asked.
“I don’t know,” I replied.
“Where is it?” Daniel asked.
“I don’t know that either,” I admitted. Daniel groaned and the others looked at me like I was nuts. “Let me explain. Gregor was afraid this weapon might fall into the wrong hands if I was captured and interrogated. He just didn’t tell me the location for the same reason I haven’t told you guys where we were going.”
“So, how are we supposed to find it then?” Will asked.
“He gave me a riddle. Solving it will point to the weapon’s location.” I closed my eyes and spoke the words I’d gone over a thousand times in my head since leaving Morocco.
“Start in the place where beginnings meet ends.
Look for a roost that a creature defends.
Once it ate someone who carri
ed his head,
Now hides a talisman vampires all dread.”
I opened my eyes and looked around the table. They all looked at me like I was crazy.
“What kind of half-baked nuttery is this?” Daniel exclaimed.
“Keep your voice down,” Eva snapped. He did as he was told and lowered his head, sulking while she asked, “Do you have any idea what it means?”
Xavier laughed. “It’s obvious, isn’t it?”
We all looked at him. He looked shocked that we didn’t know. “Well, the first line anyway. ‘Start in the place where beginnings meet ends.’ That’s obviously a church, right?”
I thought about it and felt completely dense for not making the connection. Will got it before I did.
“Ahh,” he said. “Because people meet at a church to do baptisms at the beginning and funerals at the end.” Xavier nodded and Will beamed.
“But which church?” T-Rex said. “We’ve passed dozens since we’ve been here.”
“But there is one that is above all others,” Xavier said. “Come on, it’s not far away.”
We got up and made our way to the Seine, the river flowing through the center of Paris. From here we turned left and followed the sidewalk along the water’s edge until we reached our destination, an enormous limestone cathedral that towered into the sky.
“Notre Dame,” Xavier whispered “It translates in English as ‘Our Lady.’”
“As in the Virgin Mary, right?” Eva asked.
Xavier nodded. We all studied the cathedral. The massive stone structure was designed for one purpose—to inspire awe. Even in today’s modern world of hundred-floor skyscrapers and megamalls that cover square-miles of area under one roof, Notre Dame still accomplished her goal.
Twin bell towers dominated the front of the building like a pair of sentinels standing guard over the huge arch-covered entryways. Enormous stained glass windows spread out like fireworks frozen in time, each telling detailed stories in delicate artwork. Along each upper side, a row of spiky stone limbs angled down to join tall columns attached to the lower sides of the cathedral. The arrangement seemed like giant insect legs.
“See those?” Xavier said, pointing at the row of limbs. “Those were the architectural achievement of the age.”
“What are they for?” Will asked.
“They’re called flying buttresses,” Xavier explained. “They support the cathedral’s massive stone walls and roof. Without them, the place would cave in.”
“Wow,” Daniel said, looking upward. “Look at that.”
We all stepped back and looked up to where Daniel pointed. Behind the front of the cathedral, perched on the roof, a massive spire towered into the sky. It rested on a wide base nearly twenty feet wide with each of the four sides lined with life-sized copper statues of saints. This narrowed until it turned into a thick metal pole twisting into different designs as it went higher. At the very top, there was a round object of some kind, but at such a height, it was impossible to see what it was.
Xavier pointed up. “For centuries, that was Paris’s highest perch until the Eiffel tower was built in 1904.” I grinned, knowing that he would have pages of encyclopedic information about Notre Dame memorized for us. He had a rare mind that could read or hear things once and have nearly complete recollection later.
“Holy cow,” Will whispered. “That place is huge.”
“It’s beautiful,” Eva said.
“Wait until you see the inside,” Xavier said. “I came here once with my parents when I was younger. My father told me that if we tried to rebuild the cathedral today, even with all of our computers and modern equipment, we might not be able to replicate what these master builders did here centuries ago.”
Daniel surveyed the land around the stone structure. “This is a good defensive position. It’s hard to see at first, but it’s actually on an island. So it’s like a castle with a moat on all sides of it.”
Xavier nodded. “Yes, that was the first consideration, I’m sure. It was also the historical heart of the city. The first settlements here were on that island, going all the way back to prehistoric times. But even during Roman rule, there was a small city here called Lutetia. When it was threatened by the Germanic invasions, the people gathered here on the Ile de la Cité, which translates into Island of the City.”
“How do you translate I’d like another croissant, please?” T-Rex interrupted. We glared at him. “What? I’m still hungry.”
“I’m sure there will be some vendors when we get closer, T-Rex,” I said turning back to Xavier. T-Rex muttered something about skinny people under his breath but didn’t argue. We all walked through the open square filled with tourists as Xavier continued.
“Everything in Paris begins here.” Xavier said. “So it makes sense that your riddle has to do with this place. ‘Where beginnings meet ends.’ But what…” His voice trailed off and he got the look on his face when he went inside his mind thinking something through. It was a blank stare that, if you didn’t know any better, you’d assume meant there wasn’t much going on between his ears. But the exact opposite was the case. I’d learned to just leave him alone when it happened. Usually, when he snapped out of it, he had a great idea of some kind.
This time he slapped his forehead and exclaimed, “Of course! How could I be so stupid?” and just took off running toward the cathedral doors.
We all chased after him, nearly smashing into him when he suddenly stopped in front of a small octagonal brass plate embedded in the brick courtyard surrounded by a circle of grey stone marked with the points of the compass. “Right there!” Xavier said in rapid-fire geek. “It was so obvious. Sometimes the obvious things are the hardest for me. I try to look for complex patterns, links, but sometimes it’s just right there in front of you. It’s embarrassing really. I think I—”
“Xavier!” I grabbed his arm to settle him down. “Slow down a little.” I looked down at the brass plate. “What is this?”
Xavier looked shocked. “What is it? The answer to the first part of the riddle. The place where beginnings meet ends.”
“But I thought the church was the starting point,” T-Rex said over his rumbling stomach. “That whole baptism and funeral thing.”
Xavier laughed. “We just got lucky that brought us here. This is the real answer. It has to be.”
“What is it?” Daniel asked.
With a flourish of his hands, Xavier pronounced, “C’est la point zero,” he said with an exaggerated French accent.
“Which I bet translates into English as Point Zero,” Will offered.
Xavier nodded, not getting that Will was having some fun with him. “Yes, exactly. Every distance in France to Paris is measured to this point. So if you’re in the French Alps and someone says Paris is 451 miles away, they mean to this exact point.”
Eva got it. “And that means every road leading from here has to be measured the same way.”
“The place where beginnings meet ends. Brilliant,” Daniel said.
I patted Xavier on the shoulder. “Great work, Xavier.”
Xavier shrugged. “I led us the wrong way at first.”
“But you got us here. That’s what counts,” I said. “Now we need to figure out the rest of it.
“Start in the place where beginnings meet ends.
Look for a roost that a creature defends.
Once it ate someone who carried his head,
Now hides a talisman vampires all dread.”
We all looked at Xavier expectedly but he only shrugged. “I got us this far,” he said.
Together, we turned and looked at the massive cathedral in front of us. It would take weeks to search every nook and cranny trying to solve the clue. It seemed impossible.
“Okay, let’s break it down,” I said. “Where does a creature roost?”
“In the rafters?” Will offered.
Daniel nodded. “Yes, maybe the bell towers. You know the saying the bats in the belfry? Isn’t tha
t because bats roost in bell towers and then fly out at night?”
T-Rex shuddered. “I can’t stand bats.”
I imagined how T-Rex would have handled the Trial of the Cave when thousands of bats had swarmed me at once. My skin prickled at the memory of it.
“That might be it,” Eva said to Daniel. “And the word defend. The towers are the most fortified parts of the cathedral. It’s worth a look anyway.”
I agreed, but something was bothering me. “I don’t get the line, ‘Once it ate someone who carried his head.’”
“I’ve got it!” Will exclaimed. “It’s Quasimodo. You know, from that Disney movie.”
“You mean from the novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame?” Xavier asked.
“Whatever,” Will said. He leaned his head to one side and staggered around like the hunchback. “He carried his head. Not literally, but he carried it by leaning against his hump.”
“And he lived in the tower,” Daniel added.
“And the bats ate him?” T-Rex asked. “Eww…I told you bats are gross.”
“It’s the best idea we’ve had so far.” I pointed toward a line of tourists waiting for a tour of one of the towers. “It’s worth checking out, anyway. Let’s split up into two groups. Daniel, Eva and Xavier, you guys check the tower out. The three of us will go inside and poke around in there. Meet back here in an hour.”
We all checked our watches, noted the time, and then went our separate ways. I felt a tinge of jealousy watching Daniel and Eva walk off together. I’d done that just to prove I didn’t mind them being alone, but I was already regretting the decision.
I didn’t have long to think about it though as Will, T-Rex and I walked through the front doors and into one of the most amazing sights we’d ever seen in our lives.
Chapter Twelve
